• Authorities probe report of swimmer riding sperm whale that died off Fla. coast

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    By Juan Ortega and Donna Rapado, NBCMiami.com

    A sperm whale that was drifting off an eastern Florida shore on Sunday has died, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    The agency now plans to look into a report from a resident of Pompano Beach, north of Fort Lauderdale, who said she saw the whale alive earlier in the day and saw one of two swimmers get on top of the whale, NOAA said. 

    "This whale was likely ill or injured and that is why it came in so close to shore," said Blair Mase, NOAA's southeast regional stranding coordinator. "This type of harassment could have caused more harm and added stress to an already stressed whale and ultimately caused its demise."

    It is a federal offense to harass a marine mammal, Mase said.

    "People need to be aware that they shouldn't do that," she said.

    Sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales, also are an endangered species, she said.

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    Marine scientist Stefan Harzen said it's possible a boat struck the whale or something simply made the whale sick.

    "There's really very little you can do for a whale if it gets seriously ill or injured," he said.

    On its 'last leg'
    The witness, Margie Casey, 49, told NBC 6 that she saw two swimmers twice go up to the whale Sunday morning. She said she watched them from her fifth-floor balcony and snapped photos of one swimmer getting on the whale.

    Casey said the whale at the time was drifting north along the shore, just south of a stretch of beach near the Northeast 14th Street Causeway.


    Casey said she considered the whale to be alive, because it was flapping its tail at the time. Perhaps the whale was on its "last leg," she said. "So sad."

    About 11:45 a.m., bystanders reported the whale was about 40 feet from the shore, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright.

    A marine mammal rescue team, the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded.

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    Before it was announced the whale had died, beachgoers said they hoped the whale would survive.

    "I think it's totally amazing, man," said Brad Schwab. "It looks like they're trying to keep him out in the open sea."

    Beachgoer Dennis Cooper added, "I guess everybody's concerned about the health of the whale and everybody's trying to save it."

    Christina Coniglio, who was also on the beach, said she suspected that pollution contributed to the whale's illness.

    "The environment is so dirty," she said. "When the whales go and eat all those plastics and bottles and things we throw in the sea, they get sick and this is what happens."

    The whale had been coming close to shore while rip currents kept pulling it back out, Coleman-Wright said. When officials arrived, a specialist went into the water and determined the species that died was a sperm whale, Mase said.

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  • 13-year-old girl helps police catch burglars in house

    "We actually kind of ran but we were actually really scared. Never been in that kind of situation before."


    That's how 13-year-old Alexis Stannis describes what she and younger brother Darren did -- hiding in a bedroom closet and calling 911 -- when intruders broke into their Pompano Beach, Fla., home on Thursday.

    Both children were honored Monday for their quick reaction and calm demeanor during the incident. 

    While their parents were at work, 10-year-old Darren told his older sister he heard suspicious sounds outside the house. Alexis then saw intruders trying to come inside through an unlocked back window.

    "Well, they knocked on my front door I didn't answer, and I saw one of them walk around the house and then I just went back to my room, and then Darren realizes they're on the back porch trying to break in."

    Alexis grabbed Darren and a cell phone, and the two hid inside a closet. Alexis called 911. In a shaky voice, she provided the necessary information to the dispatcher and police, who arrived and surrounded the house. 

    "They were like, where are they in the house? Do you hear them? What's going on? Are you still in your closet? Yeah."

    When police entered the home, they found three older teens hiding in the closet of another bedroom.

    The three teens, one 17 years old and two who are 15, were caught with a knife, which they admitted to using to break into the house next door, police said.

    All three were charged with armed burglary, NBCMiami.com reported. 

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    The Stannises' mother, Tracey Stout, said she was proud of both her children for being so calm in such a dangerous situation.

    "I'm really proud of my kids, they did a good job," she told reporters. "It's hard listening to the tape the 911 call but they really did a good job."

    Both children were awarded with lapel pins and awards of excellence by Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti at a press conference on Monday.  

    Lamberti commended Alexis for her bravery and quick actions.

    "She responded better than a lot of adults would in a very similar situation. She remained calm," Lamberti told NBCMiami.com.

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